On February 2, 2017, Metro Nashville Police Department Officer Eric Mumaw responded to a call where a woman, who was sitting in the driver's seat of her vehicle at the end of a boat ramp in Peeler Park. Mumaw and his partner surged into action to pursuade Juli Glisson from suicide. When the car door opened, the officers thought the woman was getting out, but instead the car went out of park and plunged into the water.
Both officers lost footing and fell into the water attempting to save the woman as she and her car slipped into the river. Officer Diamond and the woman were able to swim to shore, but Mumaw was swept into the water. Glisson was sentence to 12 years for vehicular homicide by intoxication.
In February 2, 2020, a memorial plaque and area was unveiled at Peeler Park. The plaque reads:
Before sunrise on February 2, 2017, Nashville Police Officer Eric Mumaw lost his life in service to this community while working to save a suicidal woman who was in a car parked on the edge of the Cumberland River on this boat ramp. As Officer Mumaw and 2 colleagues tried to convince the woman to come with them to safety, she put the car into gear. Officer Mumaw went with the car as it traveled into the river and lost his balance at the end of the boat ramp. Despite the efforts of other officers to rescue their colleague, the water temperature and river conditions were too much to overcome. Officer Mumaw drowned. A Nashville Fire Department diver recoverd his body just after 8 a.m. less than 100 yards from the boat ramp. The female drive survived, was procescuted and convicted of vehicular homicide by intoxication. Officer Mumaw, an 18-year police deparment veteran, loved Nashville and cared deeply for the Madison community. During his tenure he received the police department's Lifesaving Award, Exemplary Service Award, and the Department Commendation twice. He was posthumously awarded the Medal of Valor on Febuary 6, 2017. In the death of Office Mumaw, our city suffered a great loss of a true public servant. He was the 18th NMPD officer to die in the line of duty since Nashville's Metropolitan Government came into existence in 1963.
Mumaw's memorial service was on Monday, February 6, 2017, at Cornerstone Church, 726 W. Old Hickory Boulevard in Madison, according to a release from MNPD. The release also detailed what police believe happened leading up to Mumaw's death:
Investigative interviews that have been conducted in regard to Officer Mumaw’s death have given detectives a scenario of what took place before sunrise on the boat ramp at the edge of the Cumberland River at Peeler Park.
At 4:16 a.m., the Emergency Communications Center received a call from a family member of Juli Glisson, 40, who said Glisson was in a car on the boat ramp and had a history of being suicidal. Officers Mumaw, Nick Diamond and Trent Craig responded. When they arrived, they saw Glisson’s car at the bottom of the boat ramp at the edge of the Cumberland River. The officers tried to convince Glisson to get out of the car for several minutes. Officer Diamond was on the passenger side while Officers Mumaw and Craig spoke with Glisson through the driver’s side window. As Officer Craig reached in to prevent Glisson from putting the car into gear, Officer Mumaw tried to open her door. It is believed that Glisson then put the car into gear and it headed into the river. Officers Mumaw and Diamond went with the car and lost their balance when they stepped off of the submerged end of the boat ramp. The two were pulled further into the river by the car. Diamond regained some control and reached for Officer Mumaw who was drifting further into the river. Officer Diamond lost a slight grip that he had on Officer Mumaw. Officer Craig ran along the riverbank for a short distance, saw the top of Officer Mumaw’s head, and jumped into the water, which came up to his neck. The water temperature and conditions were too much to overcome, and Officer Craig was forced to get out of the water.
Fire Department personnel quickly responded in boats, along with the Office of Emergency Management. Glisson was found on the riverbank around a bend from the boat ramp after she apparently swam from the car. Officer Mumaw’s body was discovered by a Fire Department diver just after 8 a.m. less than 100 yards from the boat ramp.
Officer Diamond was taken to Vanderbilt University Medical Center where he was treated and released. Officer Craig was treated at the scene and did not go to a hospital.
Glisson was transported to Skyline Medical Center. She showed clear signs of intoxication and is being further evaluated at a hospital. She remains under criminal investigation.
Attribution:
Content written and/or curated by Brian Copeland
Metro Nashville Police Department public records